Ex-law officer wants rape conviction set aside

A former Kansas sheriff serving a 27-year sentence for sex crimes involving a 13-year-old child wants his conviction set aside.

Associated Press

A former Kansas sheriff serving a 27-year sentence for sex crimes involving a 13-year-old child wants his conviction set aside.

Attorneys for James Bloom argued during a Reno County hearing Monday that his former attorneys provided ineffective counsel before his 2006 trial. Bloom claimed they did not tell him the maximum sentence he could receive if he was convicted of rape and aggravated indecent liberties with a child.

Bloom was an instructor at the Kansas Law Enforcement Training Center and former Trego County sheriff.

His former attorneys testified Monday that they discussed possible sentences for each of six plea agreements offered by the prosecution.

The Hutchinson News reports (http://bit.ly/16ZCae3 ) Judge Trish Rose took the case under advisement and said she would issue a ruling later.